Absorbent articles such as sanitary napkins, pantiliners, and incontinence pads are devices that are typically worn in the crotch region of an undergarment. These devices are designed to absorb and retain liquid and other discharges from the human body and to prevent body and clothing soiling.
It is desirable to provide absorbent articles that reduce the risk of leakage of bodily fluids that can result in soiling of clothing or bedding. It is also desirable to provide such absorbent articles with excellent body fit such that the absorbent article conforms to a female wearer's anatomy. For example, it is particularly desirable that at least a portion of such an absorbent article fit comfortably within female wearer's interlabial crevice while, at the same time, fitting into the wearer's gluteal groove. It is further desirable that such absorbent articles maintain such conformity (i.e. reliable body contact) throughout the full range of wearer motions as a means for reducing such leakage. It is still further desirable that such absorbent articles be conveniently disposable.
One means the art has used to respond to such needs has been to provide stretchable absorbent articles. For example, providing stretchability to catamenial products has been contemplated by the art. U.S. Pat. No. 3,371,668, issued to Johnson on Mar. 5, 1968, is directed to a sanitary napkin employing a nonwoven fabric with a cover said to have machine direction elasticity. The described fabric comprises a nonwoven web of fibers having a plurality of elastic means, in extended condition, secured to the web. Upon their release, the fabric contracts in the length direction and is characterized by a plurality of substantially parallel buckled areas said to have improved bulk. While this improved bulk may provide an improvement in body contact over a catamenial product lacking such buckled areas, the buckles do not readily conform to a female wearer's anatomy. For example, it is unlikely that the Johnson device would conform, even partially, to a female wearer's interlabial crevice.
Another absorbent article that uses stretch to provide improved contact with a wearer's body is described in PCT Application No. WO 95/20931 published in the name of Osborn, et al. on Aug. 10, 1995. The absorbent articles described therein include sanitary napkins, pantiliners and the like. Such absorbent articles are described as comprising at least some extensible components. Preferably, the topsheet, the backsheet and the absorbent core are all extensible or are provided with extensible regions. While such absorbent articles provide improved contact with a wearers body, as exemplified by the Lift results described in the above mentioned PCT Application, there is a continuing need to provide even better body contact and body conformity throughout the entire range of wearer motions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,411,498, issued to Fahrenkrug, et al. on May 2, 1995 describes an absorbent garment having a fluid pervious inner layer, an outer layer, an absorbent structure disposed between the inner and outer layers, and a plurality of elastomeric strands located between the inner and outer layers, at least one of the strands being positioned between the inner layer and the absorbent structure and at least one of the strands being positioned between the absorbent structure and the outer layer. In a relaxed state the strands are said to cause the absorbent structure to be gathered. Such gathers are said to allow the garment to expand longitudinally The positioning of the strands is also said to cause the absorbent garment to have a pocket configuration. One embodiment of the Fahrenkrug, et al. device is also provided with attachment means for fitting around the hips of a wearer. While such a structure may allow a catamenial pad to follow wearer movement better than a catamenial pad that is attached to an undergarment, the pocket configuration may not reliably contact a wearer's pudendal region with a resulting risk of leakage and staining.
Another means used by the art to provide more intimate contact between an absorbent article and a wearer's body is to allow various portions of the absorbent article to separate, while the absorbent article, as a whole, remains a unitary structure. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,906, issued to Osborn, III, et al. on Apr. 16, 1991 describes a sanitary napkin having a topsheet that is joined to an absorbent core. The topsheet and the associated core are decoupled from the backsheet so that the topsheet and the backsheet can separate in the "z" direction. The topsheet and the backsheet are joined at one transverse end to form a hinge. The opposite end is free to rise. An interliner joined to the absorbent core may be provided. The interliner constrains flow of bodily discharges toward the backsheet While such structure allows the topsheet and the core to be decoupled from the backsheet with a resulting improvement in response to wearer movement, improvements are needed to provide better conformity to the various shapes of portions of a wearer's pudendal region.
Similarly, PCT Application WO 94/02098, published in the name of Osborn, III, et al. on Feb. 3, 1994, describes a menstrual short with a catamenial pad assembly connectable thereto. The catamenial pad assembly comprises an absorbent member and a cinch member. The cinch member biases (lifts) the absorbent member into a wearer's gluteal groove and against her perineum. While this system of menstrual short and catamenial pad assembly provides improved body contact and wearer comfort when compared to other menstrual undergarments, such as Japanese menstrual shorts, the entire catamenial pad is lifted and, as a result, the pad may not fully conform to a wearer's body.
The sanitary napkin described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,324,278, issued to Visscher on Jun. 28, 1994 also describes a liquid pervious spacing structure positioned between the absorbent core and the topsheet thereof The spacing structure responds to lateral compressive forces from a wearer's thighs by moving the topsheet upward and away from the absorbent core. While such a sanitary napkin provides improved body contact, it depends on lateral compressive forces from a wearer's legs to move the topsheet upward. When such compressive forces are reduced or absent, such as when a wearer's legs are spread, the separation between the topsheet and the absorbent core is reduced, possibly reducing body contact.
Yet another device where portions of the absorbent article separate is described in PCT Application WO 96/12458, published on May 2, 1996 in the names of Endres, et al. The device described therein is a diaper comprising a garment shell and a liquid control member. The garment shell comprises a backsheet layer, an absorbent assembly disposed on the backsheet layer and a liquid permeable bodyside layer bonded to the backsheet layer about the periphery of the garment shell so the absorbent assembly is sandwiched between the bodyside layer and the backsheet layer. The liquid control member has two opposing stationary zones with an elasticized zone therebetween. The liquid control member is disposed on the bodyside layer and joined thereto at each stationary zone with the elasticized zone being unattached. The illustrated liquid control member comprises a liquid permeable material, spaced apart lateral barriers, and elastic members joined to the lateral barriers. An alternative embodiment (not shown) can comprise a single elastic member that is desirably formed of a liquid permeable material. While such structures may provide improved body contact, they would fail to provide the conformity to a female wearer's anatomy that can result in reduced leakage.
While all of the above mentioned devices, in some degree, are aimed at improving body contact, there is still a need for improvements in body fit and responsiveness to wearer motion. Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide an absorbent structure with improved contact with a female wearer's pudendal region. Specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide comfortable interlabial fit while, at the same time, providing comfortable gluteal groove fit. It is a further object of the present invention to provide an absorbent structure that can reliably maintain body contact throughout a full range of wearer motions. It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an absorbent article which can be worn in place of a wearer's undergarments and can be readily disposed of when the absorbent capacity of the article is reached; eliminating the need to treat soiled undergarments.